Conventionally, a card reader has been known in which a card is manually operated to read data recorded in the card and record data to the card (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-26826). The card reader described in the Patent Literature is formed in a flat and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The card reader is formed with a card passage where a card inserted into a card insertion port is passed. Further, the card reader includes a magnetic head structured to abut with a magnetic stripe formed on one face of a card, a plurality of IC contact springs structured to contact with external connection terminals of an IC chip formed on the other face of the card, a contact spring holding member attached with a plurality of the IC contact springs, and a tension coil spring which urges the contact spring holding member. The magnetic head is disposed in a front end side portion of the card reader where the card insertion port is formed and the IC contact springs and the contact spring holding member are disposed in a rear end side portion of the card reader.
The card reader described in the above-mentioned Patent Literature is formed in a flat and substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and the thickness of the card reader is thin. On the other hand, in the market, the card reader is required to be further thinner. In a case of the card reader described in the above-mentioned Patent Literature, if the magnetic head, the contact spring holding member, the tension coil spring and the like are made thinner, the card reader can be made further thinner. However, in the card reader described in the above-mentioned Patent Literature, when these structural components are made thinner, followability of the magnetic head for a deformed card, a contact pressure of the magnetic head with a card and a contact pressure of the IC contact springs with a card are varied and, as a result, reading accuracy and recording accuracy of data by the magnetic head and the IC contact springs may be lowered. In other words, when the magnetic head, the contact spring holding member and the like are made thinner in order to make the card reader described in the above-mentioned Patent Literature further thinner, reliability of the card reader may be lowered.